Web-based advertisement and sweepstakes system

ABSTRACT

The present invention generally relates to a web-based advertisement and sweepstakes system which allows users willing to interact with online advertisements to participate in free sweepstakes with the chance to win prizes. The web-based system may display advertisements, manage sweepstakes information, and apply sweepstakes rules to information received from participants in order to determine sweepstakes results. A participant may interact with the web-based advertisement and sweepstakes system simply by visiting a hosted website. The web-based system may be designed to prompt a participant with sweepstakes information, receive participant information in response to prompting the participant with sweepstakes information, retrieve sweepstakes rules from the memory, and apply the sweepstakes rules to the participant information to determine a sweepstakes result.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The following generally relates to a computer-implemented web-basedsystem for displaying advertisements, managing sweepstakes information,and applying sweepstakes rules to information received from participantsin order to determine sweepstakes results.

BACKGROUND

As the reach of the Internet—and user access to it—continues to grow,advertisers must constantly search for more effective ways to promotetheir goods and services online in order to keep up with competitors.Their search has led to the emergence of a number of different onlineadvertising models. Such models include web-page banner ads, contextualsearch engine advertising, pop-up ads, customer e-mail groups, and manyothers.

SUMMARY

There is a need for novel online advertising systems which effectivelyutilize Internet-user interest in sweepstakes to bolster advertisementcampaigns. This need is met by one or more embodiments of the presentinvention.

The present invention, in one or more embodiments, is directed to aweb-based advertisement and sweepstakes system that effectivelygenerates and harnesses user interest in online advertising. The systemallows users who are willing to interact with online advertisements toparticipate in sweepstakes with the chance to win prizes.

The web-based system may display advertisements, manage sweepstakesinformation, and apply sweepstakes rules to information received fromparticipants in order to determine sweepstakes results. A web-basedsystem designed for performing such functions may include at least onecomputer and at least one database that are in electronic communicationwith each other. In accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent invention, the web-based system and its correspondingmethodology may be based upon a highly referential object-orienteddatabase that maintains several lists identifying a number ofadvertisements, a number of advertisers, a number of participants, anumber of participant groups, a number of sweepstakes, and a number ofprizes.

A web-based system having features of the present invention may includea central processing unit (CPU) for executing machine instructions and amemory for storing machine instructions that are to be executed by theCPU. When executed by the CPU, the machine instructions implement anumber of functions. These functions include prompting a participantwith sweepstakes information, receiving participant information inresponse to prompting the participant with sweepstakes information,retrieving sweepstakes rules from the memory, and applying thesweepstakes rules to the participant information to determine asweepstakes result.

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, thefunction of applying the sweepstakes rules to the participantinformation involves comparing a participant entry number, based on asequential ordering of participant information received by the system,with a preset number to determine a sweepstakes result.

According to other embodiments, a prize is awarded in accordance withthe sweepstakes result such that a sweepstakes-entry bonus—based atleast in part on the participant's prior sweepstakes entries—affects theprize. According to still other embodiments of the present invention,the machine instructions also implement the function of awarding aprimary prize to an active participant and one or more secondary prizesto one or more passive participants in accordance with aparticipant-referral system. Still yet other embodiments combine two ormore of the system features introduced in this paragraph.

In accordance with at least one additional embodiment of the presentinvention, the function of prompting a participant with sweepstakesinformation comprises displaying an advertisement with the sweepstakesinformation. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, the participantis a registered participant and that meets sweepstakes entryrequirements in order to qualify for an award of a prize based on thesweepstakes result.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of one or moreembodiments of the present invention will become better understood withreference to the following description and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of thepresent invention. These drawings, together with the summary given aboveand the description given below, are intended to explain some of theprinciples of the invention and do not in any way limit its scope.

FIG. 1 is a simplified, exemplary flow diagram depicting the functionsof a web-based advertisement and sweepstakes system according to one ormore embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic diagram depicting a web-basedadvertisement and sweepstakes system according to one or moreembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a simplified, exemplary illustration of a portion of athird-party website having a banner advertisement linked to anassociated website according to one or more embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a simplified, exemplary illustration of an associated websitelogin interface according to one or more embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a simplified, exemplary illustration of an associated websitesweepstakes interface according to one or more embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 6 is a simplified, exemplary illustration of an associated websitesweepstakes interface according to one or more embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is a simplified, exemplary illustration of an associated websitedisplaying a web-based advertisement according to one or moreembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a simplified, exemplary illustration of an associated websitedisplaying a web-based advertisement according to one or moreembodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a simplified, exemplary illustration of an associated websitedisplaying a sweepstakes result message according to one or moreembodiments of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely exemplary of an invention that may be embodied in various andalternative forms. Therefore, specific functional details disclosedherein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as arepresentative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy one or more embodiments of the present invention.

As the reach of the Internet—and user access to it—continues to grow,advertisers must constantly search for more effective ways to promotetheir goods and services online in order to keep up with competitors.Their search has led to the emergence of a number of different onlineadvertising models. Such models include web-page banner ads, contextualsearch engine advertising, pop-up ads, customer e-mail groups, and manyothers. Despite some clear differences among the models, the goal ofeach of these types of online advertising is to transmit product andservice information to as many interested consumers as possible.

As use of the Internet becomes both more prevalent and more pervasive,businesses are continually adapting and expanding their onlineadvertising models to better reach their target audiences. Along withthe constant fight to adapt within a seemingly ever-burgeoning onlinecommunity, comes expanded opportunity—and increased competition—forattracting the attention of Internet users. The key to effectivelyimplementing online advertising is to develop sustainable models formeeting user interest with suitable, persuasive advertisements. Althoughthe particular design of such advertisements falls outside the scope ofthe present invention, the following sections confront directly theproblem of generating user interest in online advertising.

Despite the vast number of potential incentive programs that could beused to increase user interest, some are better suited to the onlinecommunity than others. Notably, the popularity of existing onlinecompetitions demonstrates a clear interest among Internet users to entersweepstakes for the chance to win prizes. If implemented appropriatelyand managed correctly, Internet-user interest in sweepstakes can be usedas the basis for new models of online advertising.

Reference may be made herein in one or more embodiments to one or more“participants,” which may generally refer to an individual, orindividuals, who participate in the sweepstakes. A participant may alsobe referred to as an ‘Internet-user’ or simply a ‘user’. According toone or more embodiments of the present invention, the web-based systemmay differentiate between “registered participants” and other categoriesof participants. A “registered participant” may be a participant thatmeets certain registration requirements in connection with an associatedwebsite (introduced below). At various places in this disclosure,reference may also be made to “sweepstakes.” As used herein,“sweepstakes” may generally refer to one or more contests open to anumber of participants. The web-based system may be designed to performthe functions necessary for the administration of these sweepstakescontests.

A web-based advertisement and sweepstakes system according to one ormore embodiments of the present invention may generally include one ormore integrated databases, application servers, and client andparticipant components, which facilitate sweepstakes creation,aggregation, and management. The system may be scalable to potentiallyhandle a high volume of sweepstakes and associated functions in a widearea network such as the Internet. The system may be supported by atiered client/server application environment. Furthermore, as shown inFIG. 2, the system 200 may include a system provider 202, one or moreuser computers 204A, 204B and 204C, and, optionally, one or moreadministrators 206, and the Internet 208 for facilitating electroniccommunications between the system provider 202, one or more usercomputers 204A, 204B and 204C, and the one or more administrators 206.

The web-based system may include at least one computer 206 and at leastone database 210 in communication with each other, as shown in FIG. 2.The computer, or computers, may have a central processing unit (CPU) forexecuting machine instructions and a memory for storing machineinstructions that are to be executed by the CPU. Additionally, thesystem may include or otherwise cooperate with one or more computerapplications. When executed by the CPU, the machine instructionsimplement a number of functions. As broadly depicted by the simplified,exemplary flow diagram 100 of FIG. 1, these functions or steps 102through 120 may include prompting a participant with sweepstakesinformation, receiving participant information in response to promptingthe participant with sweepstakes information, retrieving sweepstakesrules from the memory, and applying the sweepstakes rules to theparticipant information to determine a sweepstakes result. These systemfunctions, and a number of others, are described in more detail below.

The web-based advertisement and sweepstakes system of one or moreembodiments of the present invention may be associated with one or morewebsites accessible via the Internet. An associated website must beproperly configured to provide participant access to the functionalityof the web-based advertisement and sweepstakes system. A participant mayinteract with the web-based advertisement and sweepstakes system bydirecting the participant's Internet browser software (or other type ofcommunications software) to any of the one or more associated websites,such as by entering an appropriate URL address or by following a linkfrom another website. A link to an associated website, which may appearon a third-party website—such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Google,for example—may be in the form of a banner advertisement 300 like theone shown in FIG. 3.

An associated website may include an interface designed to allowparticipants to interact with the features of the web-basedadvertisement and sweepstakes system. Such an interface may comprise asingle, electronic form capable of at least (i) prompting a participantwith sweepstakes information, (ii) receiving participant information,and (iii) communicating a sweepstakes result to the participant. Thesingle, electronic form may include one or more pages. Alternatively,the system may generate any number of distinct electronic forms designedto direct participant interaction with the web-based advertisement andsweepstakes system. FIGS. 4-9, by way of simplified, exemplaryillustrations 400 through 900, show various interfaces and forms thatmay be employed by associated websites in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present invention.

A participant may view the information displayed in the electronic form,or forms, on a user display for a user device, such as a personalcomputer of any type (e.g., a desktop, a notebook, a netbook, etc.), acell phone, a digital media player, a personal digital assistant (PDA),an e-book reader, a global positioning system (GPS) unit, a digitaltelevision, or other similarly networked, electronic device. Preferably,associated websites will employ user interfaces and forms that willaccommodate participant access and interaction through the use of anynumber of these various types of user devices.

The web-based advertisement and sweepstakes system may contain andmanage any number of active sweepstakes. The system may aggregate thesweepstakes, including all associated sweepstakes rules, and store theaggregation in a database that is in communication with one or morecomputers tasked with executing machine instructions which direct thesystem's functions. For each of the aggregated sweepstakes, the systemmay determine whether one or more prizes are associated with thesweepstakes and what requirements a participant must meet in order to beconsidered for the award of any such prizes. All of this information maybe stored in a database.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention, theweb-based advertisement and sweepstakes system prompts a participantwith sweepstakes information. The system may perform this function inany number of ways. In one embodiment, the system carries out thisfunction by displaying sweepstakes information that may be viewed by aparticipant. The system may display such information in an electronicform viewable on a participant's user device. Sweepstakes informationmay include information concerning how a sweepstakes result isdetermined, what type of prize (or prizes) is associated with thesweepstakes, and what requirements a participant must meet to beconsidered for the award of the prize(s). Prompted with suchinformation, the participant is able to decide whether or not to enterthe sweepstakes.

Prompting a participant with sweepstakes information may also includedisplaying an advertisement with sweepstakes information. The system maycontain any number of online advertisements associated with any numberof advertisers. The advertisements may be of any suitable typeincluding, but not limited to, video clips, audio clips, interactiveads, floating ads, interstitial ads, and unicast ads. FIGS. 7 and 8 eachshow a simplified, exemplary illustration 700 and 800, respectively, ofan associated website displaying a web-based advertisement according toone or more embodiments of the present invention. The system mayaggregate the advertisements associated with the one or more advertisersand store the aggregation of advertisements in the database. Anassociated website may be structured in such a way as to allowparticipants to select from among a number of advertisements and/orsweepstakes. An interface 500 for allowing participants to select fromamong a number of advertisements (and/or sweepstakes) is shown in FIG.5.

The database may also store information concerning the number of timesan advertisement is to be displayed by the system. Once a givenadvertisement has met its allotted number, the system may replace itwith another advertisement to be displayed. For instance, the system maybe configured to show Advertisement I 10,000 times in connection withone or more sweepstakes. Once Advertisement I has amassed its allottednumber of participant views, the system may replace the ad withAdvertisement II, which is to be shown 15,000 times. After reaching15,000 participant views, Advertisement II may then be replaced byAdvertisement III, and so forth. Alternatively, each advertisement maybe allowed to reach a threshold number of participant views in anonconsecutive manner. For example, Advertisements I and II may be shownin connection with one or more sweepstakes such that one participantviews Advertisement I followed by another participant viewingAdvertisement II and so on, until each ad reaches its respective quota.The ordering associated with any such system may follow a structuredpattern or may be random.

Advertisers may pay for the display of their advertisements based onformulas and models familiar in the art. These formulas and modelsinclude, for example, a sum per-appearance or per-impression of anadvertisement (known as cost per impression or CPI)—including cost perthousand impressions (known as cost per mille or CPM)—a sumper-participant-click-through of an advertisement (known as cost perclick or CPC), a sum per-participant-registration at a website (known ascost per lead or CPL), and a sum per-participant-action (known as costper action or CPA). The type of advertisement pricing formula or modelemployed need not be limited to those contained in the preceding list ofexamples.

In response to prompting the participant with sweepstakes information,the web-based system receives participant information. The participantinformation received by the system may be related to any number ofsubjects including, but not limited to, the actions or inactions of theparticipant, identifying data associated with the participant, and thelength of time an advertisement is displayed. Information received bythe web-based system may be used to carry out any of its otherfunctions, and—like the aggregations of sweepstakes, sweepstakes rules,and advertisements—may be stored in a database.

According to certain embodiments of the present invention,participant-identifying data may be among the types of participantinformation received by the system. Such data can include the IP addressassociated with a participant's networked electronic device, the currentdate and time, and the like. This information may also include a uniqueidentifier, which uniquely identifies a particular participant withinthe web-based sweepstakes and advertisement system. The uniqueidentifier may identify a participant that has met certain registrationrequirements in connection with an associated website and is thereforeconsidered a “registered participant.” The unique identifier may be agenerated or provided character string that the system associates withthe participant's IP address, website logon information, or other typeof identifying information.

Besides the participant-identifying data just described, the web-basedsystem may monitor, collect, store, and/or otherwise develop and employadditional participant-specific information that may be used to directtargeted advertisements to particular participants based on certaincriteria. A participant's age, gender, geographic location, generalinterests, and other characteristics and preferences may form some ofthe potential criteria. The system may filter the aggregation ofadvertisements in accordance with this participant-specificinformation—thereby obtaining a filtered aggregation of advertisements.Accordingly, the web-based system may choose to display advertisementsfrom a filtered aggregation of advertisements dependent upon theidentity of the participant.

The web-based system is also designed to receive information related towhether the participant has met certain compliance requirements.Compliance information—often including the actions or inactions of theparticipant and the length of time an advertisement is displayed—may becollected so that the system can subsequently check that the participantis qualified to enter the sweepstakes. Once a participant has beenprompted with sweepstakes information, the system may receive and storecompliance information in accordance with entry requirements associatedwith the particular sweepstakes. In order to determine whether aparticipant is qualified to enter the sweepstakes, the collectedcompliance information may be compared with the relevant sweepstakesentry requirements. Each sweepstakes may either have its own entryrequirements or share common entry requirements.

Sweepstakes entry requirements can include, among many others,displaying an advertisement for a preset length of time, providing userfeedback in connection with a particular advertisement, and clicking orotherwise interacting with the interface generally—or with theadvertisement itself—in response to prompting the participant withsweepstakes information. In one or more embodiments of the presentinvention, the participant may be required to click, select, or in someother way interact with an advertisement for a given length of time inorder to qualify for entry into the sweepstakes. The sweepstakes entryrequirements may involve a single interaction, such as a singlemouse-click, or, alternatively, may necessitate participants complete aseries of interactions or responses. In a preferred embodiment, theparticipant is required to click (by a mouse, keyboard, or keypadoperation, or the like) in order to activate an advertisement that isthen displayed for a preset length of time, such as 5, 10 or 15 seconds,for example. In other embodiments, the entry requirements may call forsweepstakes participants to rate a certain quality of, or answerquestions related to, a given advertisement in order to qualify forentry into the sweepstakes. The system may receive this click andadvertisement interaction data as part of the collected participantinformation, which may be used for subsequent system functions.

Sweepstakes entry requirements may also involve a limit on the number oftimes a participant may enter one or more sweepstakes. For example, thesystem may be designed to permit only one entry per participant for agiven sweepstakes. Alternatively, the system may allow multiple entriesby a participant while restricting the number of entries per unit oftime, for example, one entry per participant per hour. Both the numberof permissible entries and the given unit of time may be set at anyreasonable value. In order to enforce any such limits, the web-basedsystem may be designed to judge whether a particularparticipant—identified by an associated IP address or other type ofidentifying information—has exceeded a set number of entries or a setnumber of entries per unit of time. The system may, for example,determine whether or not a participant has exceeded a set number ofallowable entries by comparing the number of clicks from a singleparticipant to a set value established for the given sweepstakes.Specifically, if one click (or other entry interaction) is permitted perday, the system may judge whether there has been an entry interaction bythe participant within the past 24 hours. If the participant has alreadyentered the sweepstakes during that period of time, the system will notallow an additional entry until the appropriate time period has elapsed.A number of variations on the methods, here introduced, for restrictinguser entries into sweepstakes may be employed in accordance withembodiments of the present invention.

Proper functioning of the web-based advertisement and sweepstakes systemmay require that sweepstakes rules be retrieved and applied toparticipant information. According to one or more embodiments,sweepstakes rules may be stored in, and retrieved from, the memory. Therules associated with a sweepstakes may include sweepstakes entryrequirements and any rules related to the determination of a sweepstakesresult, such as how a winning or losing sweepstakes outcome is decidedby the system. Each sweepstakes may either have its own unique set ofrules or share a set of common rules with a number of other sweepstakes.The specific form of some sweepstakes rules are outlined in thefollowing sections directed to the system function of applying suchrules.

Once sweepstakes rules have been retrieved from the memory, theweb-based system may perform the function of applying the sweepstakesrules to the participant information to determine a sweepstakes result.The operation of this function may vary significantly in accordance withthe particular sweepstakes rules that are to be applied to participantinformation received for a given sweepstakes.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the web-basedsystem determines the sweepstakes result on the basis of a sequentialordering of participant information. By ordering discrete sets ofparticipant information in a numerical fashion based on the time it isreceived, the system can assign a unique entry number to eachparticipant in a given sweepstakes. To determine the sweepstakes result,which may comprise a losing outcome or a winning outcome, the web-basedsystem may compare a participant's entry number to a preset numbercontained within the sweepstakes rules. If the participant's entrynumber matches the preset number, the system adjudges the participant awinner and the sweepstakes result is a winning outcome. If, on the otherhand, the participant's entry number does not match the preset number,the system adjudges the participant a loser and the sweepstakes resultis a losing outcome. For example, if according to the associated rulesthe preset winning number for a given sweepstakes is 1,000—meaning thatthe 1,000^(th) sweepstakes participant will win the sweepstakes—the999^(th) participant, according to the order in which her participantinformation was received by the system, will trigger a losing outcome.According to this example, the very next sweepstakesparticipant—provided all associated sweepstakes entry requirements aremet—will trigger a winning outcome.

A single sweepstakes need not be limited to a single preset winningentry number. For example, although one sweepstakes may have a singlepreset winning entry number of 10,000—having the result that the10,000^(th) participant will win the sweepstakes—another sweepstakes mayemploy more than one preset winning entry number, i.e., 10,000, 30,000and 100,000. According to one or more embodiments, the sweepstakes maybe structured so that a number of winners are determined based on aregular interval of entries. For example, a sweepstakes may include thatevery 10,000^(th) participant is a winner; consequently, the 10,000^(th)participant, the 20,000^(th) participant, the 30,000^(th) participant,the 40,000^(th) participant, and so on, will each win the sweepstakes.Additionally, the prizes—discussed in detail below—associated with asweepstakes having multiple winning entry numbers may either be all thesame or may be differentiated on the basis of which entry number hasbeen satisfied by the winning participant.

This function of the web-based system—applying the sweepstakes rules tothe participant information such that a participant entry number, basedon a sequential ordering of participant information received by thesystem, is compared with a preset number to determine a sweepstakesresult—may generate user interest in the sweepstakes and, consequently,in viewing any advertisement associated with entry into the sweepstakes.The systematic, nonrandom nature of determining a sweepstakes resultbased on a sequential ordering of participant information received mayprovide a greater attraction for potential participants than would amore-random basis for the determination of the sweepstakes. Accordingly,advertisements connected with a web-based sweepstakes system of the typedisclosed herein may be capable of getting product and serviceinformation to interested consumers more efficiently than advertisementsassociated with other types of sweepstakes systems.

Upon the determination of a sweepstakes result, the web-based system mayperform additional functions. Among such functions may be the awardingof a prize based on the sweepstakes result. For example, if theparticipant is adjudged a winner, the system may award a prize to theparticipant. Preferably, the prize awarded in connection with asweepstakes is a cash award of any amount, e.g., $10, $50, or $100. Inother embodiments, the prize may include merchandise, coupons, rebates,or any other item of value. The prize may further include both a primaryprize and one or more secondary prizes in accordance with aparticipant-referral system described below.

Additional system functions may include transmitting a sweepstakesresult message to the participant and updating a sweepstakes informationdatabase in accordance with the sweepstakes result and the participantinformation received. The sweepstakes result message may comprise eithera losing-outcome message or a winning-outcome message. Transmission ofthe appropriate sweepstakes result message may be achieved by displayingthe message in an electronic form, sending the message to theparticipant via e-mail, directing the participant's browser to aparticular URL address, or by similarly appropriate means. According toone or more embodiments, an associated website's interface may include anotifications section for displaying all of a given participant'ssweepstakes result messages. Furthermore, the web-based sweepstakessystem may allow a participant to collect winnings only after athreshold prize amount or number has been won by the participant.

When a prize is awarded to a participant based on the sweepstakes result(a “primary prize”), the web-based system may also award one or moreadditional prizes (“secondary prizes”) to other participants. Accordingto one or more embodiments of the present invention, aparticipant-referral system may be used to determine the allocation ofsecondary prizes. A participant referral system may be based onconnections which may exist between participants. The system may employany number of different participant referral system structures. In oneor more embodiments, the referral system may be dependent upon theregistration status of participants in connection with associatedwebsites. For example, a referral system may be structured as follows:if a participant refers another individual to an associated website andthat individual becomes a participant, the two participants haveestablished a referral connection; if the new participant then wins asweepstakes, the original participant may be awarded a secondary prizedue to the existence of this referral connection. The participant whoactively participates in the sweepstakes resulting in the award of aprimary prize and associated secondary prizes, dependent upon theexistence of referral connections, may be herein referred to as anactive participant. In the alternative, those who win secondary prizesin connection with the active participant's primary prize may herein bereferred to as passive participants.

A number of variations on these types of participant-referral systemsmay be utilized in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.For instance, the system may be structured such that if Participant 1refers Participant 2 to register with an associated website andsubsequently enter a sweepstakes, and if Participant 2 then triggers awinning sweepstakes outcome and is awarded a primary prize of $100,Participant 1 may be awarded a secondary prize equal to a certainpercentage of the primary prize, e.g., 25% resulting in a secondaryprize of $25. The referral system also need not be limited to a singlereferral connection. For example, the system may be structured such thatif Participant 1 refers Participant 2 who then refers Participant 3, andif Participant 3 subsequently wins a sweepstakes prize of $50,Participant 2 may be awarded a secondary prize of $10 and Participant 1may be awarded a secondary prize of $2. Similarly, according to one ormore embodiments, if Participant 1 refers Participant 2 who then refersParticipant 3 who then refers Participant 4, and if Participant 4subsequently wins a sweepstakes prize of $100, Participants 2 and 3 mayeach be awarded equal secondary prizes of $10 and Participant 1 may notbe awarded any prize, if the system is structured so as to place a limiton the number of referral connections to which a secondary prize mayattach. The preceding references to specific referral systems whichinvolve the award of secondary prizes equaling a certain percentage ofthe primary prize is not intended to limit the scope of such systems;secondary prizes may be, or may not be, related to the primary prize inany way. For example, if the primary prize is $25, the one or moresecondary prizes may be a coupon or any other form of prize.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the web-basedsystem may award a prize such that a sweepstakes-entry bonus, based atleast in part on a given participant's prior sweepstakes entries,affects the prize. A sweepstakes-entry bonus may be calculated based ona number of factors. For example, if a participant has consistentlyparticipated in sweepstakes, consecutively fulfilling the total allowedentries per unit of time, the participant may be eligible for asweepstakes-entry bonus. Prior participation information, or sweepstakesentry data, may affect an awarded prize in any number of ways. Thesystem may perform this function by retrieving sweepstakes entry datafrom the memory, the sweepstakes entry data including asweepstakes-entry bonus, associating the participant with thesweepstakes-entry bonus, and combining the sweepstakes-entry bonus withthe sweepstakes result to determine a prize.

For example, the system may be designed to award a prize to aparticipant that has entered one or more sweepstakes per day for tenconsecutive days. In the alternative—or in addition—if a participantwins a sweepstakes on the tenth consecutive day in which he has enteredone or more sweepstakes, the prize awarded may be systematicallyincreased through the application of a multiplier. As an illustration ofthis multiplier effect, consider the following example: a participanteligible for a sweepstakes-entry bonus, because he has participated inthe maximum allowed number of sweepstakes over the preceding ten days,wins a sweepstakes with a normal prize of $10; a multiplier of 1.5 maybe applied such that the prize is increased from $10 to $15. Althoughthe preceding examples have described situations in which thesweepstakes-entry bonus is triggered by ten days of consecutivesweepstakes participation, the number of consecutive sweepstakes entriesor the number of total sweepstakes entries which trigger thesweepstakes-entry bonus may be set at any value. Additionally, themultiplier may be set to any reasonable value and may increase ordecrease according to any type of sweepstakes-entry bonus system.

In addition to those based on consecutively fulfilling the total allowedentries per unit of time, sweepstakes-entry bonuses may be based onother measures of a given user's participation in the sweepstakessystem. Such measures include, but are not limited to, providing theweb-based system with personal or identifying information beyond thatrequired for basic registration with an associated website, thoroughnessin providing feedback on advertisements, the participant's number ofreferral connections, and the amount of time the participant spendsinteracting with the system.

Although a number of novel features are delineated throughout thisspecification, all of them need not be—and have not been—incorporatedinto every embodiment of the invention. Additionally, while embodimentsand aspects of the invention have been illustrated and described, it isnot intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possibleforms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification arewords of description rather than limitation, and it is understood thatvarious changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention. Specific details disclosed are merely representativebasis for teaching one skilled in the art to practice the presentinvention. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims shouldnot be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments of theinvention contained herein.

1. A web-based system having a central processing unit (CPU) forexecuting machine instructions and a memory for storing machineinstructions that are to be executed by the CPU, the machineinstructions when executed by the CPU implement the following functions:prompting a participant with sweepstakes information; receivingparticipant information in response to prompting the participant withsweepstakes information; retrieving sweepstakes rules from the memory;and applying the sweepstakes rules to the participant information suchthat a participant entry number, based on a sequential ordering ofparticipant information received by the system, is compared with apreset number to determine a sweepstakes result.
 2. The web-based systemof claim 1, wherein the sweepstakes result comprises a losing outcome ora winning outcome.
 3. The web-based system of claim 1, wherein themachine instructions when executed by the CPU further implement thefollowing function: awarding a prize based on the sweepstakes result. 4.The web-based system of claim 3, wherein the prize includes a primaryprize.
 5. The web-based system of claim 4, wherein the awarding functionfurther includes awarding the primary prize to an active participant. 6.The web-based system of claim 4, wherein the prize further includes oneor more secondary prizes.
 7. The web-based system of claim 6, whereinthe awarding function further includes awarding the primary prize to anactive participant and awarding the one or more secondary prizes to oneor more passive participants.
 8. The web-based system of claim 7,wherein the awarding function further includes awarding the one or moresecondary prizes to the one or more passive participants in accordancewith a participant-referral system.
 9. The web-based system of claim 1,wherein the participant information includes a unique identifier of aparticipant and compliance information.
 10. The web-based system ofclaim 9, wherein the unique identifier identifies a registeredparticipant.
 11. The web-based system of claim 9, wherein the complianceinformation includes whether the participant has met sweepstakes entryrequirements.
 12. The web-based system of claim 11, wherein thesweepstakes entry requirements include displaying an advertisement for apreset length of time.
 13. The web-based system of claim 1, wherein thefunction of prompting a participant with sweepstakes informationcomprises: displaying an advertisement with the sweepstakes information.14. The web-based system of claim 1, wherein the machine instructionswhen executed by the CPU further implement the following functions:transmitting a sweepstakes result message to the participant; andupdating a sweepstakes information database in accordance with thesweepstakes result and the participant information.
 15. The web-basedsystem of claim 14, wherein the sweepstakes result message comprises alosing-outcome message or a winning-outcome message.
 16. The web-basedsystem of claim 1, wherein the function of applying the sweepstakesrules to the participant information comprises: associating participantinformation received by the system with the sweepstakes information;assigning a participant entry number to the participant information inaccordance with a sequential ordering of participant informationreceived by the system; and comparing the participant entry number witha preset number to determine a sweepstakes result.
 17. A web-basedsystem having a central processing unit (CPU) for executing machineinstructions and a memory for storing machine instructions that are tobe executed by the CPU, the machine instructions when executed by theCPU implement the following functions: prompting a participant withsweepstakes information; receiving participant information in responseto prompting the participant with sweepstakes information; retrievingsweepstakes rules from the memory; applying the sweepstakes rules to theparticipant information to determine a sweepstakes result; and awardinga prize in accordance with the sweepstakes result, wherein asweepstakes-entry bonus, based at least in part on the participant'sprior sweepstakes entries, affects the prize.
 18. The web-based systemof claim 17, wherein the function of awarding a prize in accordance withthe sweepstakes result comprises: retrieving sweepstakes entry data fromthe memory, the sweepstakes entry data including a sweepstakes-entrybonus; associating the participant with the sweepstakes-entry bonus; andcombining the sweepstakes-entry bonus with the sweepstakes result todetermine a prize.
 19. A web-based system having a central processingunit (CPU) for executing machine instructions and a memory for storingmachine instructions that are to be executed by the CPU, the machineinstructions when executed by the CPU implement the following functions:prompting a participant with sweepstakes information; receivingparticipant information in response to prompting the participant withsweepstakes information; retrieving sweepstakes rules from the memory;applying the sweepstakes rules to the participant information todetermine a sweepstakes result; and awarding a primary prize to anactive participant and one or more secondary prizes to one or morepassive participants in accordance with a participant-referral system.20. The web-based system of claim 19, wherein the active participant isthe participant and the participant-referral system is structured suchthat the one or more passive participants are selected based on referralconnections of the active participant.